When the Killers Come Out » Zarry 🔞⚠️✅

4: Gotcha

"Harry, you've barely said anything since we had dinner." Harry's grandmother says two days later.

"Everything alright?"

Harry looks up at her.

"Yeah." He says and he puts on a forced smile."

"Okay. Do you want to tell me how this old summer weather has been treating you?"

"Fine, grandma. Just fine."

"Any new people in your life? Friends? Boyfriends?"

Harry shakes his head.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because I just haven't."

"Peanut."

She stretches out her wrinkly hand across the table and waits for him to touch it back. It takes him a moment, but he does.

"Yeah?"

"You know how to go up to people and talk. You're good at getting things you want. You always have been."

Harry hangs his head low and shakes his head.

"Yes you are."

But she doesn't know he's not shaking his head because he disagrees. He's shaking his head because he doesn't want to hear this talk right now.

"I know you think about Chad and how he left after he did what he did to you. And I know it still hurts you that he was killed by this River Killer going around before you could make peace with him. But you can move on. Your life is not based on Chad. It's not over because his is. You know that, right?"

"I know."

"Okay then. So keep your head up, keep helping people like you always have. It'll work out. Someday someone else will be there for you like me."

She drew her hand back and Harry sat back in the booth.

His grandmother could say whatever she wanted but he didn't believe that anymore. His father "left" because he was stupid and big headed. His mother abandoned him because she was a drug addict, his "friends" dissipated because he was different. And the man he thought was the match for him disappeared because he had sex with someone else. Basically Harry had been abandoned his entire life.

His grandmother stayed, yes. But she was up in age by the time she took him in and there was only so much she could realistically do. What he really needed was supposed to come from his parents and his peers. He didn't get it. And as a result, the real Harry that had been born to his parents finally surfaced and reached a point of no return.

As he's thinking about suggesting he take her back to the nursing home, his phone rings.

He doesn't recognize the number, but he wants to get out of this conversation so bad. Better to entertain a telemarketer than to entertain the topic of him being a good person. He knows he's not. Those days are over.

"Hello?"

"Oh wow. I didnt expect you to answer. I was prepared to leave a sexy message with instructions."

"Who is this?"

Theres a giggle into the phone.

"Zayn, silly. Are you still interested in hooking up?"

Harry pauses.

"Uh..."

"What's the matter, don't want to?"

"No. I do." He quickly says.

"I'm just suprised you called after what happened. I didn't think it went well."